Overview

The danger isn't in the water. As a lifeguard in Florida resort, Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dreams. It feels perfect except that she prefers caviar and Manolo Blahniks, and he is used to burgers and flip flops.

So when Ned's cousin offers him a rich deal, Ned can't turn him down. It is just a fast break and enter. The risk is high, and the reward even greater - $5 million.

2005 Audio Cassette Good Connecting readers with great books since 1972. Used books may not include companion materials, some shelf wear, may contain highlighting/notes, and ...may not include cd-rom or access codes. Customer service is our top priority!Read moreShow Less

More About
This Book

Overview

The danger isn't in the water. As a lifeguard in Florida resort, Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dreams. It feels perfect except that she prefers caviar and Manolo Blahniks, and he is used to burgers and flip flops.

So when Ned's cousin offers him a rich deal, Ned can't turn him down. It is just a fast break and enter. The risk is high, and the reward even greater - $5 million.

Editorial Reviews

From Barnes & Noble

For lifeguard Nick Kelley, things are almost too perfect. He spends his days eying bikini blondes at a posh Florida resort and shares his nights with Tess, his gorgeous girlfriend. To make matters even better, his buddies have offered to cut him a seemingly risk-free role in a painting heist that will make them all millionaires. Then bang, bang, bang, it all explodes: Tess is brutally murdered and all his co-conspirators are massacred, leaving guess who as the leading suspect? Once again, the indefatigable James Patterson delivers.

Publishers Weekly

Campbell brings a strong presence as narrator to this latest thriller from collaborators Patterson and Gross. Part-time lifeguard/beach bum Ned Kelly meets the woman of his dream-rich and sexy Tess McAuliffe-and thanks to some old childhood friends, he has an opportunity to earn an easy, albeit illegal, $5 million by creating several diversions around town while his friends steal a fortune in art work. When the art disappears and his friends are murdered, Ned finds himself on the run as the FBI's number one suspect in the killings. The authors keep the story moving quickly, providing plenty of twists, turns and close escapes, but little logic or believability. Campbell does a fine job, handling himself with serious aplomb. He shifts easily from third-person narrative to Ned's reflective first-person perspective, and gives each of the supporting characters their own, distinctive voice. His performance rises above the overly melodramatic material. Simultaneous release with the Little, Brown hardcover (Reviews, May 16). (July) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Being a lifeguard in Palm Beach, FL, definitely has its perks. Ned Kelly, recently of Boston, lives rent-free in a fantastic home, gets to drive a nice car, and has fallen hard for a beautiful woman who resides in a luxury hotel suite. Ned's idyllic life comes to a sudden end when four of his friends are murdered during an art robbery and the woman is brutally slain in her hotel room. Ned is on the run-from the police, the FBI, and from people who seem determined to kill him. The only people who believe him are an FBI art theft investigator, an old New Zealand buddy, and the rich man who owns the house where Ned lives. Patterson and Gross have come up with an enjoyable thriller, and Billy Campbell is skilled in his presentation of the unique plotting, well-developed characters, and fast-paced action. This will definitely be a hot item in all audio collections.-Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Related Subjects

Meet the Author

More by this Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson's books have sold more than 240 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

Read an Excerpt

Lifeguard

Little, Brown

Chapter One

"DON'T MOVE," I said to Tess, sweaty and out of breath. "Don't even blink. If you so much as breathe, I know I'm gonna wake up, and I'll be back lugging chaise longues at poolside, staring at this gorgeous girl that I know something incredible could happen with. This will all have been a dream."

Tess McAuliffe smiled, and in those deep blue eyes I saw what I found so irresistible about her. It wasn't just that she was the proverbial ten and a half. She was more than beautiful. She was lean and athletic with thick auburn hair plaited into a long French braid, and a laugh that made you want to laugh, too. We liked the same movies, Memento, The Royal Tenenbaums, Casablanca. We pretty much laughed at the same jokes. Since I'd met her I'd been unable to think about anything else.

Sympathy appeared in Tess's eyes. "Sorry about the fantasy, Ned, but we'll have to take that chance. You're crushing my arm."

She pushed me, and I rolled onto my back. The sleek cotton sheets in her fancy hotel suite were tousled and wet. My jeans, her leopard-print sarong, and a black bikini bottom were somewhere on the floor. Only half an hour earlier, we had been sitting across from each other at Palm Beach's tony Café Boulud, picking at DB burgers-$30 apiece-ground sirloin stuffed with foie gras and truffles.

At some point her leg brushed against mine. We just made it to the bed.

I took a breath. I patted the sheets around me. I slapped at my chest and legs, as if to make sure. "Yeah," I said, grinning.

The afternoon sun slanted across the Bogart Suite at the Brazilian Court hotel, a place I could barely have afforded a drink at, forget about the two lavishly appointed rooms overlooking the courtyard that Tess had rented for the past two months.

"Oh, whatever could I mean? Agreeing to meet someone I'd seen just twice on the beach, for lunch. Coming here with him in the middle of the day."

"Oh, that ..." I shrugged. "Seems to happen to me at least once a week."

"It does, huh?" She dug her chin sharply into my ribs.

We kissed, and I felt something between us begin to rise again. The sweat was warm on Tess's breasts, and delicious, and my palm traveled up her long, smooth legs and over her bottom. Something magical was happening here. I couldn't stop touching Tess. I'd almost forgotten what it was like to feel this way.

Split aces, they call it, back where I'm from. South of Boston, Brockton actually. Taking a doubleheader from the Yankees. Finding a forgotten hundred-dollar bill in an old pair of jeans. Hitting the lottery.

The perfect score.

"You're smiling." Tess looked at me, propped up on an elbow. "Want to let me in on it?"

"It's nothing. Just being here with you. You know what they say: for a while now, the only luck I've had has been bad luck."

Tess rocked her hips ever so slightly, and as if we had done this countless times, I found myself smoothly inside her again. I just stared into those baby blues for a second, in this posh suite, in the middle of the day, with this incredible woman who only a few days before hadn't been conceivable in my life.

Your Rating:

Your Recommendations:

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked,
or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to
Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original
and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you
and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not
violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help
ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer.
However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or
to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the
information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reminder:

- By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its
sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the
review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.

- Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly
those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com
also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.

I love Patterson. Even when his books aren’t his usual na

I love Patterson. Even when his books aren&rsquo;t his usual nail-biting, edge of my seat, have no food in the house or clean underwear because I&rsquo;m ignoring my domestic chores books. Sadly, Lifeguard is one of those books. It was just OK for me. Ned Kelly is a likeable character and I felt a lot of empathy for him and what he goes through in this story. Unfortunately, Ned doesn&rsquo;t seem capable of making smart choices. Not when he falls in love, not when he agrees to help his cousin with a burglary, not when he goes on the run, not when he kidnaps an FBI agent, and not when he nearly gets himself killed on more than one occasion.

I was very disappointed with the FBI agent, Ellie. She came across as a little flaky at times, though she could be quite tenacious at times. Her area of expertise is stolen and forged artwork but she jumps into a murder investigation with both feet, despite repeated admonitions from her supervisor to stay out of it. What I didn&rsquo;t find believable is how she willingly went with Ned when he kidnaps her and then is helping him until he lets her go. OK, so she isn&rsquo;t trained in violent crimes, but she is still an FBI agent, so why wasn&rsquo;t she putting up a tiny bit of resistance?

Thrown into this story are a lot of supporting characters that I had a very hard time keeping track of and how relevant they were to the story. So, instead of the heart-pumping suspense I have come to anticipate and expect when I pick up a Patterson book, I got a mostly mediocre story that is just OK.

If you are looking for depth and substance when you pick up a book, give this one a pass. If you are looking for a fluff mystery to read on the beach or during your lunch break, this will fit the bill.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted December 26, 2006

GOOD!

This book was good! i would let people know about it, but i would not rave about it. I have in the past raved about patterson's books, because he is a great author and would tell anyone that likes suspense to read him. I did like this book, but did not love it.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted February 26, 2015

Jake

Gtgtb

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted February 26, 2015

Ashley

K bye

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted February 25, 2015

Abby

Dives deep and breathes in water. She coaks under the water and her eyes roll back in her head.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted February 25, 2015

Blayze

Curls up

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted October 13, 2014

A real page turner!

This was one of those books you can't wait to finish, but don't want to finish at the same time.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted March 15, 2014

Dumb

If this was written by two authors, I don't think they proofed each other's writing. For an example; Ellie was described as having short hair and then she, "puts it up in a ponytail"? Hard to believe story.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted January 30, 2014

Love It

Just finished this book and i love it to the exsremes.:) <3

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Will the REAL Patterson, please stand up!

As someone who was Patterson's biggest Alex Cross fan, it saddens me that Patterson's books are chart-toppers because of the Patterson brand. I still read the Cross series - I guess, considering the last Cross read was, Cat & Mouse.

I just can't wait for the Patterson I was introduced to when I was in my teens, to stand up & take his place on the bestsellers list for quality not quantity. Sadly, I believe he may have been a 3 book wonder.

Anyway, I pushed myself through it because I am a fan of the gifted Mr. Gross & it was painfully obvious (to me) which segments were penned by the fervent Mr. Gross. FYI: Gross is w/o a doubt HERE TO STAY!!!

I am hoping Patterson will emerge again in this century, but I am not going to hold my breath.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted April 23, 2011

Standard Issue Patterson Beach Fare

Perhaps I've read a few too many of these and they're getting a bit predictable, but I just wasn't impressed. The story breezed along at a brisk pace with a couple of surprising twists, but there was too little logic, not enough believability, and virtually no character development. LIFEGUARD is typical of recent Patterson collaborations. Lately, I find myself wanting a little more, even if it is just a beach read.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted March 31, 2011

...

...

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

blunorg

Posted November 18, 2010

Excellent story!!

A very fast-paced thriller, one of James Patterson's best! Couldn't put it down, read it in a matter of days. Thrilling all the way to the very end, highly recommend this book.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Not one of Patterson's best

Lifeguard refers to the job that Ned Kelly used to have before he was set up for theft and murder.

Patterson has the knack of creating a good story, but sometimes, on paper it falls apart. Everything just seemed to fall into place too easily.

It's a good quick read with mystery, suspense, romance and some art history thrown in. Stock characters are somtimes good for a laugh...but I must admit--I've ready better. Try the Alex Cross Series instead!

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

Anonymous

Posted February 20, 2010

Almost a good book

I was distracted by the main character "falling in love" with someone he just met and then when she is out of the picture, falling for the next woman. Other than that, it was a good story.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

mdvd

Posted January 27, 2010

I Also Recommend:

LIFEGUARD By JAMES PATTERSON

Kept my husband and I listening in the car for the next chapter. The ending was as good as the beginning. It was truly different.
MD

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

LIFEGUARD - I recommend it!

I read audio books in my car and with this book, I couldn't wait to get in my car to begin where I left off. Totally suspense filled, action packed, good story line, well worth the read time, as are all of Patterson's books.

Was this review helpful? YesNoThank you for your feedback.Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.